Lesson 113 👩‍🏫Basic English with Jennifer - Chitchat & Common Questions

Hi everyone! I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer.

Do you like to meet new people? When they ask questions, are you ready to answer?

Chitchat is friendly conversation. It's very relaxed.

Chitchat often happens when Americans meet for the first time.

We ask the same questions: Where are you from? What do you do?

Watch and listen. I'm going to help my students, Flavia and Andreia, become more comfortable with chitchat.

We're going to get snow tomorrow. Yes. Yes. I'm happy.

You know, I'm sure sometimes if people meet you, um, they're going to ask questions, like, "Oh, you're from Brazil."

And then they'll ask, "How do you like the winter? How do you like the snow?" These are common questions people will ask.

So, let's just practice question and answer. If I'm meeting you for the first time, you know the questions I'm going to ask.

Right? I'll ask, "So, where are you from?" I'm from Brazil. Oh, like Rio? No, I'm from São Paulo. Oh, okay.

So, are you in Boston with family? Yes, with my husband. Okay. So, how do you like Boston? Mm-hmm. Oh! Okay.

How do you like Boston? How I...?

So, how do you like it? It's good. It's great. I love it. It's okay.

I like Boston. I don't like the weather. Good. I like Boston, but I don't like the weather.

Is this your first winter? No, the second. Your second winter, so you know it's cold. Yeah. Okay.

Same thing, so where are you from? I'm from Brazil. Americans will think, "Oh, Rio!" Are you from Rio? No, I am from Porto Alegre. Where is that?

Um...Rio Grande do Sul.

I don't know. So, help Americans. We know Brazil is big, and if you think of directions, there's north, south, east, west.

I don't know. Again, north, south, east, and west.

So, you can say, "It's in the north. It's in the south. It's in the east. It's in the west."

So again, "Where are you from?" I'm from Brazil. Oh, are you from Rio? No, I'm from Porto Alegre. Where's that? Ah, in the south.

Oh. Is it far from Rio? Mmm. Yes. Yeah. Yes. But I'm sure it's hot. Yes? No. No? My city is cold.

It's funny. My husband came. Some of my relatives, my grandparents, they asked questions, and some of the questions were funny.

I think one question my grandfather asked many years ago was, "Do you have orange juice?" Orange juice! "Do you have orange juice in Russia?"

So, they'll ask, "Do you have snow in Brazil?" Little. A little. In the south. It's little. We have a little snow. We have a little bit.

And are you in Boston all alone? Do you have family here? I have my husband. Mm-hmm. And my...I always...cousins, cousins.

You can say, "I'm here with my husband." I'm here with my husband. "And I have cousins." And I have cousins.

Is this your first winter in Boston? No, my second. How do you like it? I like it. Yeah? You like the cold? You like the snow? Yes. Good for her!

So, some typical questions they'll ask: Where are you from? How do you like Boston? How do you like New England?

And you answer is, "Oh, it's great. I love it, but I don't like the snow. I don't like the cold." Or, "It's good. I like it. It's interesting. It's fun."

Another common question: Do you miss home? Miss. Like, "Ah, I miss Brazil. I miss my family." Do you miss home? Yes, I miss it so much. I miss it so much. Yeah.

How about you? Do you miss home? Yes, every day. Ah, okay. And why did you choose Boston? Why Boston? Why did you come to Boston?

Because when I searched school... for a school,

I found the good school. Mm-hmm. Yes. Say, "When I searched for good schools, I found good schools in Boston."

Do you remember the four directions? North, south, east, west.

Looking at South America, where's Argentina? In the south.

Where's Colombia? In the north.

Where is Peru? In the west.

And Brazil? In the east.

Looking at Africa, where's Tunisia? In the north.

And Sudan? In the east. Actually, the northeast.

Note how we can say northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest.

Where's Vietnam? In Southeast Asia.

"So, where are you from?" is one of the most common questions we ask someone new. What else? Listen.

There could be other questions people ask when they find out you're new, you're here. Like, "Oh, you're learning English. Did you study English before you came?"

No. You didn't know any. Here I started. Say, "I started learning here." I started learning here.

Okay. Is it getting easier? No. [laughing] How about you? Did you learn English before you came? No, I started learning here, but some words I knew.

I knew some words. Like, "Good morning. Hello. How are you?"

What are you doing here in Boston? I'm a student. I'm a full-time student. And you?

Me too. Me too. I study full-time. But I also know you do extra work. Yes. So, you could always add that. "I'm a full-time student, but..."

But on Sundays, I volunteer in the animal shelter.

Let's review some of the common questions. Pay attention to my rhythm and intonation. Remember that information questions, wh- questions have falling intonation.

Yes-no questions use rising intonation.

Where are you from?

How do you like Boston?

Are you here alone?

Did you come with family?

Why did you choose Boston?

Do you like the winter?

Is this your first winter?

Let's see how Flavia and Andreia do when I speak faster.

I'm going to ask again, and I'm going to go fast. If you didn't understand, you need to say something. Okay?

Don't just say, "Uh..." or "Yes?" [laughing] Okay.

So, where are you from? I'm from Brazil. Where? I'm from São Paulo. São Paulo. Where's that? It's uh east...east...in the east. So, in the east. Is it close to the ocean? Yes.

How far is it from Rio? Uh, maybe five hours. By car? By car. Oh, so you go to Rio often? No, okay. And are you here in Boston alone or with family?

I live here with my husband. Uh-huh. And do you work or study? I'm studying full-time. Okay. How do you like Boston? I like Boston, but not the winter.

Oh, you don't like the cold? Yeah. I don't. Okay. Is this your first winter? No, my second winter. Okay. Well, maybe you'll enjoy it. It's cold, but when there's snow, it's pretty.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay. All right.

How about you? Where are you from? I'm from Brazil too. Ah. Are you from the same city? No, I'm from Porto Alegre. Say it again. Porto Alegre. Porto Alegre. Yes. Okay. And where is that?

In the south. In the south. Uh, do you also...is it warm like Rio?

No, it's more cold...colder. Colder. Oh. Like how cold? Do you got...Do you have snow? Little. Sometimes a little snow. How do you like the snow in Boston?

I like it. Do you? Yes. Yeah? Do you ski? Not yet. Not yet. [laughing] Do you ice skate? I want. Oh, okay. Say, "I want to." I want to. Okay.

And are you here for work or for...? Why did you choose Boston? What do you do? I study full-time. Okay. Are you studying here alone? Did you come with family?

I live my husband. With. With. With my husband...and my cats. Oh! How many cats do you have? I have two cats. Did they come with you from Brazil? Yes.

Oh, how nice. How did they do on the plane? Uh, I brought...in the...carrier. I brought them in the carrier. I brought them in the carrier.

Ah. They were in carriers. Yes. On the plane. Were they okay on the plane? Yes. They slept all the time.

How old are your cats? Four years. Both of them? Yes. She is...they is...sisters. They're sisters. They're sisters. Nice. Okay.

Is this your first winter? No, my second. So, now it's your second winter, you know, you have to ski, you have to skate, you have to see hockey. Yes. Yes! You have to see a hockey game.

They say practice makes perfect, so practice your answers to common questions. Be ready for chitchat.

We'll end here. Please like the video if you found it useful. As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!

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